Despite the increase in jobs recorded in September, the job market in Quebec has been lagging for a year. The complete opposite of what is happening in Ontario, a province with which the Legault government likes to compare itself economically.
According to data collected by Statistics Canada, the number of jobs increased in Quebec by only 8,100 over the last 12 months from September 2023 to September 2024.
This is dramatically anemic since during the same period, the population aged 15 and over (of working age) jumped by 192,000. And as for the active population (workers and unemployed), it increased by 59 600 in 1 year.
Result: Quebec finds itself grappling with a spectacular increase of 51,400 unemployed people in 12 months, bringing the total number of unemployed to 264,300 at the end of September.
Nasty contrast
Regarding the job market, we have been experiencing a nasty contrast over the past year compared to the previous 12-month period (September 2022 to September 2023) when the job market was on fire, recording a breathtaking creation of 120 400 jobs in La Belle Province.
In September 2023, the unemployment rate in Quebec stood at 4.5%. Today, it is down to 5.5%.
For its part, the employment rate (number of jobs vs population aged 15 and over) fell by 1.5 percentage points, to fall to 60.7% in September.
Those most affected by the lack of dynamism in the labor market over the last 12 months are young people aged 15 to 24 (-12,400 jobs) and workers aged 55 and over (-8,900 jobs).
While 61,000 jobs were lost in the private sector, the public sector swelled by 47,400 jobs.
The biggest losses over the past year have been recorded in wholesale and retail trade (-43,000 jobs) and in the finance, insurance, real estate services sector (-12,400 jobs).
It was the health care and social assistance sector that created the most jobs, with a gain of 50,700 jobs.
In the greater Montreal region, some 24,000 jobs were lost in one year. In Quebec, the capital, the loss amounts to 8,500 jobs.
Ontario stands out from Quebec
During the same last 12 months, 312,600 jobs were created across the country.
As the government of François Legault likes to compare the economic performance of Quebec to that of the Ontario government of Doug Ford, in terms of job creation over the past year, Quebec is pitiful.
With its meager addition of 8,100 jobs in 12 months, Quebec is no match for Ontario, where 151,800 jobs were created during the same period.
Of all the jobs created in Canada, Ontario accounts for almost half (48.6%), far exceeding the demographic weight (39.6%) represented by its population of 15 years and over in the country.
The creation of 8,100 jobs in Quebec over the last 12 months accounts for only 2.6% of the total 312,600 jobs created in the country.
It’s peak-peak when we know that the demographic weight of Quebec is 22.1% in Canada.